San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-08-24


without oars or sails-the grandest sight,
many yet aver, that they ever saw in their
lives In ls22-2S steamers multiplied even
on the smallest rivers Of the west; and river
towns grew up by steamboat traffic where
now the steamers whistle is never heard.
The multiplication Of steamboats, was almost
as rapid, once the system was proved sue
cess, as that Of railroads has since been; yet
men were long time experimenting before
they gained success
Paddle wheels for propelling vessels were
used before the Christian era; but the first re-
corded attempt to employ steam for the pur-
pose was in 1913 by Blasco de Garay. William
Henry, Of Chester county, Pa, put a model
steamboat on the ConeStoga river in 1868;
and D'Auxiron and Perier achieved quite q
success in France in l774-5. The Marquis de
Jouffroy continued their experiments ten
years with some success; and in 1876 James
Rumsey ran boat four miles an hour on the
Potomac. John Fitch got his first expert
mental steamer on the Delaware in 1855, and
in 179O excited general establishment by bring
ing her speed up to seven and a half miles an
hour. Meanwhile many successes had been
attained in Great Britain, and Robert Fulton
ran steamboat on the Seine in 1903 He
soon returned to America and began that
series Of labors which resulted in starting the
Clermont, Aug. z, 1907, from New York for
Albany, and making the trip with an average
speed of five miles per hour. Mankind were
apparently not so enthusiastic then as now
land much scarcer in America; yet they
made great to-do over Fulton's success, and
very justly pronounced 1t the Inauguration Of
q new era. The craft was 100 feet long, with
IS feet beam, 7 feet depth and 100 tons
burden; the paddle wheels were IS feet in
diameter and the boiler was 90 feet long,
fleet deep and feet widei Immediately after
ward the Ph9niv was put on-a side wheel
steamer-and after a trip near NewYork went
by sea to the Delaware. Thereafter the de-
velopment of steamboat traffic was bewilder-
iagly rapid.
In 1911 Fulton and Livingston commenced
building steamers at Pittsburg; in 1879 the
Comet commenced regular trips on the Clyde,
in Scotland, and in 1916 large steamer went
the whole length Of the Ohio and the Missis-
sippi below Cairo, exciting everywhere the
widest enthusiasm.
On the western rivers the progress was
amazing, and in the old records we find mat
ter for wonder at the amount of traffic ON
very small streams-Wa and Green rivers
for instance. Early in 1922 the Florence
whistled reveille TO the squatters where
now stands the city of New Harmony, and in
the "May rise" of that year she landed a big
cargo at Terre Haute, exciting great en-
thusiasm. In 1923 the Ploughboy commenced
regular trips on the Wabash, and in the rise
of 1924 the boat went up to the mouth of
RaccOon creek, in Parke county, and soon
after TO Lafayette, the head of navigation
We find cause to smile in the old laws and
orders which show what immense importance
the pioneers of Indiana attached to their
water routes; one could not erect a dam on
any creek near the river till he had applied to
the court, got viewers appointed and recorded
their verdict that his dam would not sob
struct navigation" Now it is almost impos-
sible to get a listener to any proposition to
improve the river For thirty years, though
the season of boating grew shorter as the
country was cleared Of timber, the traffic was
immense; as many as sixty steamers one sea-
son passed up to Lafayette and return
Now the summer volume Of the Wa
bash at the above city is scarcely in ex-
cess Of the raft requirements, and the whistle
Of steamer is rarely heard above Terre
Haute. The railroads killed all the schemes
for improvements
The rapid railroad development-a phe-
nomenOn which grows more wonderful the
more it is studied-has also struck a fearful
blow at river commerce on the Missouri and
Mississippi; and one may now stay several
days in the season at Omaha, Yankton or
other up river cities without seeing steamer
land. As early as 1859 there was an immense
trade at St Paul; not long after boats were